Social Care
Watchdog warns care services face a 'tsunami of unmet need'
There could be a 'tsunami' of people not having the care they need unless action is taken to address staff shortages in social care, a watchdog said today.
Solving care needs through social change
More money on its own will not be enough to fix social care - and developing the required whole-system approach means local government has to be in the lead, says Polly Mackenzie.
Age UK warns 10% council tax hike would still not fix care
Charity Age UK has warned council tax would need to go up by another 10% next year just to allow social care to ‘stand still’.
A compelling national vision for local government
Becoming part of a ‘medicalised treatment-based model’ is the last thing social care needs, says Professor Donna Hall, as she puts forward the beginnings of a new vision for local government.
Calling in the bridge-builders
Effective co-operation between central and local government relies as much on people acting as ‘bridge-builders’ to navigate the differences in approach as it is does on any hard skills writes John Copps.
Need for social care solution 'greater than ever'
Progress in addressing challenges in social care is too slow, according to a public sector watchdog.
We need an equal partnership between the NHS and councils on health and care
When is a local health and care partnership not a partnership? If we are not careful when it's an integrated care system, say Phil Hope and Steve Barwick.
Johnson vows to ‘get care done’
The Prime Minister delivered a speech peppered with quips but short on announcements at the Conservative Party Conference.
Devolution is my ‘unfinished business’
Pat Ritchie is leaving her role as chief executive of Newcastle City Council after more than eight years at the helm. She talks to Heather Jameson about her legacy and what she sees as her three key achievements.
‘It’s about levelling up’
Pam Smith, Karen James and Andrea Green talk to Ann McGauran about how their strong relationship as leaders has helped their teams provide a system of support for health and social care in Stockport.
Councils must recognise the threat to locally delivered social care
The local government sector, and the bodies which represent it, need to switch from a stance that welcomes small steps to one that recognises the existential threat that locally delivered social care now faces, argues Jessica Studdert.
Hertfordshire faces uncertain financial future
Officers at Hertfordshire CC have warned an estimated £2m budget overspend could balloon in future years with the end of government COVID-19 support grants.
Public health grant cuts run counter to levelling up, say experts
Real terms cuts to local public health work against levelling up and the Government must boost funding after years of underinvestment, say two leading health organisations.
Local services face £8bn funding black hole by 2024, councils warn
Council tax will have to rise by more than a quarter in the next three years to cover the shortfall in funding for local services, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned today.
Expect tax double whammy on residents to pay for social care
After a long wait, the Government’s announcements offer nothing for local authorities or the care sector, says Cllr Sir Stephen Houghton.
Social care system is 'levelling down,' analysis warns
The quality of social care is worse in the most deprived areas, undermining the Government's levelling up agenda, new analysis has revealed.
Unpicking the health and care levy: considerations for social care
Oliver Brown says the plans for long term reform of social care leave unanswered questions - and the biggest area lacking clarity concerns top-up care costs.
Future Forum: Warning over integration ‘diversion’
Reforms aimed at further integrating health and care should not distract from delivering services, Buckinghamshire Council chief executive Rachael Shimmin has warned.
Overprotected? – powers of attorney and deputyship
Britney Spears’ conservatorship has thrown the spotlight on the powers of the court to impose restrictions on vulnerable people. Saara Idelbi argues that councils are likely to have the best view of the safeguarding actions needed.
Councils offer the solution for crisis-hit Britain
Heather Jameson says that without a central Government solution, local government will carry on its firefighting 'but it can’t be at the expense of tackling some of the longer-term issues – and no issue is bigger right now than climate change'.
